Grinding member

ABSTRACT

A grinding member is formed as a shape-elastic monolithic element and has at least partially a three-dimensional cell structure on a grinding surface of the grinding member. The grinding surface has a first abrasive agent. The grinding surface has at least partially an open-cell structure with open cells. The open cells of the grinding surface communicate via passages with cells of the interior of the grinding member. The cells in the interior of the grinding member that communicate via passages with the open cells of the grinding surface contain a second abrasive agent.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to a grinding member that is formed as amonolithic shape-elastic element and comprises at least partially athree-dimensional cell structure on a grinding surface wherein thegrinding surface comprises an abrasive agent.

2. Description of the Related Art

In the following, the term grinding member is to be understood as anelement that can be used as a grinding device, a scouring device, or acleaning device. The use of the grinding member depends on the type andstructure of the abrasive agent provided on the grinding surface of thegrinding member. The term particle is intended to include dirt particlesas well as grinding particles. Grinding particles are produced by theabrasive effect of a grinding member. When using a grinding member,particles of material (grinding particles) of the surface to be groundare produced.

In many areas of daily life, for example, in the household, trades, aswell as industry, grinding members, scouring members or cleaning membersare used for performing different types of surface treatment actionssuch as sanding, grinding, scouring, cleaning, removing rust, removingdirt, polishing or providing a satin finish. In the household or incommercial cleaning, pot cleaners, fleece pads, metal cleaners, coppercleaners or plastic cleaners are used as well as stainless steel potcleaners and steel wool.

For cleaning floor surfaces, so-called standard pads and super pads areused that, in combination with single disk or multi-disk cleaningmachines, are used for cleaning floor surfaces.

Cleaning, scouring, and grinding fleeces are mostly used for grinding,cleaning and removing rust in industrial applications, in the trades,and by craftsmen.

For fine machining of wood, filler, and paint surfaces, it is also knownto employ shape-elastic grinding sponges that adapt easily to profiledsurfaces.

Surfaces of different materials are treated, for example, wood, plasticmaterial, metal, non-iron metals, stainless steel or coated surfaces,for example, painted surfaces. For treating such surfaces, a variety ofproducts are available, for example, sanding paper, steel wool, grindingfleece, cleaning sponges, plastic cleaners, metal and copper cleaners,pot cleaners and stainless steel pot cleaners.

The material of which these products are produced varies also greatly;for example, paper, metal, and plastic in different physical andchemical embodiments are used. Each product is suitable for a certainapplication and is designed especially for such application.

Sanding paper, for example, is employed for treating wood, metal, andpainted surfaces. The abrasive action of the sanding paper is realizedby the grain of the abrasive agent. Sanding paper as a support materialis flexible but can also be easily damaged, for example, by coarseparticles or sharp edges.

Steel wool is used for general cleaning work, smoothing of wood surfacesbefore and after application of paint or lacquer and for cleaningsoldering seams. A disadvantage of steel wool is that in the externalareas the steel wool can cause discoloration of the wood. Also, whencleaning soldering seams, for example, on copper pipes, small particlescan break off the steel wool and remain within the pipe so that a propersealing of valves that are present on the pipes is prevented. Also,steel wool is also usable only under certain conditions in an automatedprocess.

Plastic cleaners are comprised of plastic material and have an excellentdirt take-up capacity. However, they only have a limited scouring andcleaning effect because the plastic material is relatively soft andusually not coated additionally with an abrasive agent.

Metal and copper cleaners are more aggressive in regard to theirabrasive action than plastic cleaners. However, it is a disadvantagethat they cannot be used on scratch-sensitive surfaces because of theirmore aggressive action.

Fleece pot cleaners can be manufactured in many varying shapes.Preferably, cleaning and scouring fleeces (non-woven materials) arelaminated onto a foam material and are used as so-called pot cleaners,scrubbing (scouring) sponges or cleaning sponges. Such scrubbing orcleaning fleeces can be coated, as needed, with an aggressive abrasiveagent, for example, quartz stand. For cleaning scratch-sensitivesurfaces, scrubbing and cleaning fleeces are coated with anon-aggressive abrasive agent, for example, chalk or talcum. Adisadvantage is that the sanding or grinding, scrubbing or cleaningfleeces, depending on the requirements, have different fiber mixturesand non-woven fiber structures. A fleece material has no cell structure.It is comprised of a composite of fibers whose structure can be matchedto different requirements. It is therefore necessary to produce for eachapplication a suitable fleece (non-woven) with different fleecestructure, stiffness, and thickness.

The present invention is based on grinding sponges that conventionallyhave a closed grinding surface that is coated with an abrasive. Grindingsponges have the advantage that because of their cell-based structurethey are shape-elastic and adapt very well to any shape of a surface tobe treated. However, such grinding sponges can take up dirt or grindingparticles that are present only to an unsatisfactory extent.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a shape-elasticgrinding member that has an excellent grinding or cleaning effect andhas an uptake capacity for particles that are present.

In accordance with the present invention, this is achieved in that thegrinding surface is provided at least partially with an open-cellstructure.

A grid, for example, is a two-dimensional structure with open boundarysurfaces between the grid frame. When several grids are combined withone another in a third dimension, a three-dimensional structure isgenerated. This three-dimensional structure is only one example of acell structure. It is also possible to provide three-dimensional cellstructures that are of an irregular configuration. The terms cell isused to indicate a regular or irregular envelope of a cavity that hasexclusively closed boundary surfaces, exclusively open boundarysurfaces, or partially open and closed boundary surfaces. A cell havingexclusively closed boundary surfaces is a closed cell. A cell that hasat least one open boundary surface is an open cell. It can take upparticles and store them. Such cells are provided on the grindingsurface. The grinding surface should have at least partially such opencells. When several open cells are neighboring one another, an open-cellstructure results. When the surface has partially an open-cellstructure, this means that open cells are arranged in one or severalareas of the grinding surface. At other locations of the grindingsurface open cells are not present. Instead, for example, closed cellsare to be found. When the grinding surface has partially or entirely anopen-cell structure, this has the advantage that the produced particlesare received by the open cells that are present and are thus removedfrom the surface to be treated. This is desirable because in this waythey do not impair the grinding effect of the grinding member in anegative way and do not clog the grinding member.

In an especially preferred embodiment, the cells of the grinding surfaceare communicating with cells in the interior of the grinding member bymeans of passages. When a cell has at least two open boundary surfaces,particles can pass through it. The cell thus provides a passage forparticles; the cell is “particle-passable”. This passage is notnecessarily linear. When a particle-passable cell on the grindingsurface adjoins a neighboring open cell that is located farther in theinterior of the grinding member, a passage or pathway is formed. Aparticle that is produced on the surface to be processed can then reachthe particle-passable cell and from there can reach neighboring opencell. When the latter cell is also passable for particles, a passage isprovided that extends possibly farther into the interior of the grindingmember. The more cells are communicating with one another, the morepassages are produced that receive particles and store them.

It is particularly preferred that cells in the interior of the grindingmember that are in communication by passages with cells of the grindingsurface comprise an abrasive agent. The cells in the interior of thegrinding member are open cells that communicate with the open cells ofthe grinding surface. Via the particle-passable cells, passages can beprovided that either end in a cell or lead to further branches. When thecells in the interior of the grinding member comprise an abrasive agentin addition to the abrasive agent on the grinding surface, the grindingaction of the grinding member can be increased. It is beneficial thatabrasive agents are provided in the open-cell layer in the interior ofthe grinding member that adjoins immediately the open-cellparticle-passable cell layer of the grinding surface. As a result of theshape-elastic properties of the grinding member, the cell structures canbe compressed so that by applying a pressing force during the grindingprocess the cells that are positioned inwardly are moved closer to thegrinding surface. In this way, it is possible for the abrasive agentpositioned inwardly to become effective and, despite the open-cellstructure of the grinding surface, a sufficient quantity of abrasiveagent per unit of surface area is available.

In a preferred embodiment, the grinding surface of the grinding memberis provided with a different abrasive agent than the cells in theinterior of the grinding member. Accordingly, when using the grindingmember two grinding functions can be used simultaneously. Depending onthe pressing force of the shape-elastic grinding member exerted on thesurface to be treated, the inwardly positioned abrasive agents becomeeffective to a greater or lesser extent. When, for example, the inwardlypositioned abrasive agents have a greater abrasive action than theoutwardly positioned abrasive agents, when applying a high pressingforce a strong grinding action results while with reduced pressing forcea reduced grinding action is generated. In this way, a single grindingmember can be employed for two grinding functions, for example, for aninitial coarse grinding action and a subsequent fine grinding actionwithout the grinding surface having to be arranged anew or having to beexchanged.

Preferably, the abrasive agent has abrasive particles. Abrasiveparticles constitute an abrasive agent that can be handled easily whenmanufacturing the grinding member and is available in variousembodiments for different applications. Abrasive particles have minimalgeometric dimensions or sizes so that during the manufacture of thegrinding member they can penetrate into the interior of the grindingmember into the cell structure. This can be realized, for example, byimpregnation or by spraying them onto the grinding member.

Advantageously, the abrasive agent can be attached or fixed by means ofa resin on the cell structure. The resin can reach in a flowable formthe interior of the grinding member in order to fix the abrasive in theopen cells. On the externally positioned grinding surface the resin canalso be employed for fixation of the abrasive agent. The resin can be,for example, polyurethane resin or an epoxy resin.

According to a further embodiment, the grinding member is impregnatedwith a scouring agent. The scouring agent is then present on thegrinding surface as well as in the interior of the grinding member. Itcan be present in addition to the abrasive agents. It is also possiblethat scouring agents, without abrasive agents, are present in theinterior and on the surface of the grinding member.

It is particularly preferred that the element is a foam material. A foammaterial can be shape-elastic and can have a cell structure as proposedaccording to the invention. The foam material is an open-pore foam andhas at least partially open cells. The foam material can be viscoelastichard or soft and can be manufactured in any desired thickness as a sheetmaterial (web) without the structure and flexibility being changed. Afiber fleece does not possess these features. As a result of theseproperties, the open-pore foam is an ideal support for an abrasiveagent, and thin and very flexible grinding and cleaning cloths can bemanufactured from such a foam. The cloths, for example, sprayed withabrasive particles, can be used, for example, as a stainless steelcleaning cloth or for grinding work to be performed on profiledsurfaces. Grinding members that are mechanically very flexible can beproduced from foam. They can be handled like a steel wool ball or astainless steel or plastic cleaner. Foam enables an improved dirt uptakein comparison to a scouring fleece that is made of a fiber fleecesprayed with a scouring agent and resulting in a surface of asignificantly more closed structure. As a result of the open cellstructure of the foam, the collected dirt can also be washed out of thegrinding member; this is desirable with respect to hygienicconsiderations.

Preferably, the element is made of plastic material. Plastic materialhas the advantage that it does not corrode. For example, it is possiblethat the grinding member can come into contact with moisture withoutthis being a disadvantage in regard to future grinding processes. Thegrinding member can be washed in order to rinse out collected particlesfrom the interior of the grinding member. Also, the grinding member canbe used for wet grinding. Plastic material can be shape-elastic and, atthe same time, can have, for example, a honeycomb structure that hasinwardly positioned open particle-passable cells in communication withcells on the grinding surface. Also, it is possible that a cellstructure can be produced in the plastic material by foaming(expanding). Accordingly, a foamed plastic material is then present.Polystyrene, styrene copolymers, polyvinyl chloride, polycarbonate,polyolefin, polyurethane, polyisocyanurate, phenol resin, and polyesterare suitable for producing foamed plastic materials.

Preferably, the element has an air permeability of at least 1,500 litersper square meter and per second. Such an air permeability is achieved,for example, when particle-passable cells of the grinding surface areacommunicate with an opposed surface of the grinding member that is alsoprovided with particle-passable cells via a large number ofparticle-passable cells in the interior of the grinding member. The airpermeability depends on the size of the open particle-passable cells,their structure and the passages or pathways between the individualcells. A method for determining the air permeability is disclosed in DINEN ISO 9237. The given value of 1,500 liters per square meter and persecond ensures according to practice that the produced particles aretaken up sufficiently by the grinding member in order to maintain thegrinding action.

It is particularly preferred that the element has a compression hardnessof at least 2 kPa (kilo Pascal). The compression hardness indicates towhich extent a material can be compressed. The determination of thecompression hardness is described in DIN EN ISO 3386-1. A material thathas a compression hardness of approximately 3 kPa is, for example, afilter foam of polyester.

For example, the element has a thickness of at least 1 mm. The elementshould have a minimum thickness so that upon compression it still has agrinding effect. A thickness of approximately 1 mm ensures according topractice that the element, despite its cell structure, does notdecompose during grinding and, over an extended period of time, remainsintact as a contiguous cell structure.

Preferably, the element is configured as a web that is rolled up. Suchrolled-up webs can be transported easily. Also, from such rolls of webit is possible to produce grinding members of any desired geometricshape.

Expediently, the element is attachable to a support material. Thisembodiment can be provided in order to be able to better handle thegrinding member. The support material can also be elastically deformablebut can also be less deformable. The monolithic element can be laminatedonto the support material.

In accordance with an advantageous feature, the support material is afabric. A fabric has a low weight, is flexible and adapts to any desiredshape. The grinding member can be laminated onto a fabric withoutproblems.

Preferably, the grinding member has surfaces that provide differenteffects. Such a grinding member can be, for example, provided to have afirst grinding surface for a coarse grinding action and a secondgrinding surface for a fine grinding action. When the grinding member isconfigured, for example, as a parallelepipedal member, other sides ofthe grinding member are available, for example, for scouring orpolishing.

Preferably, the element has differently colored surfaces. The coloredsurfaces can be provided in order to indicate differently actingsurfaces. Also, the surfaces can be numbered in order to define, forexample, the sequence of use of the grinding surfaces of the grindingmember. Also, letters, words or symbols can be applied to a surface inorder to provide a correlation, for example, for correctly positioning agrinding member on a holder.

According to another embodiment of the invention, at least two grindingmembers are connected to one another by a layer. This layer can be, forexample, a blocking layer so that taken-up particles cannot move fromthe interior of the first grinding member into the interior of thesecond grinding member. The grinding members are therefore not mutuallyaffected. The layer can also take on the function of a support thatprovides a positional correlation for the grinding members and is, forexample, shape-elastic at the same time.

In accordance with a preferred feature, the grinding member isdisc-shaped. Such grinding members in the form of discs are utilized,for example, in processing floors. Depending on the type of grindingagent, the disc is suitable for cleaning, grinding, scouring, smoothingor polishing.

In accordance with a further development of the invention, the grindingmember is constructed in the form of a cylinder. The grinding member canthen be used as a brush. The brush may have an integrally formedgrinding member. However, the brush may also be composed of severalgrinding members which are arranged as lamellae around a brush grip.

In accordance with another development of the grinding member, thegrinding member is constructed as an endless band. Such a grinding bandor grinding sleeve can be used for manually working on a surface and canalso be mounted in a grinding machine. The grinding band may have anydesired length in the circumferential direction and any desired widthtransversely of the travel direction of the band. When the grindingbands are driven by a machine, it is possible to produce high-glosssurfaces as a result of high speeds of rotation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a grinding member with closed-cell structure;

FIG. 2 is a grinding member with open-cell structure;

FIG. 3 is a grinding member with a cell structure having open cells andclosed cells;

FIG. 4 is a parallelepipedal grinding member;

FIG. 5 is a section of the parallelepipedal grinding member of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a three-dimensional cell structure with abrasive agent;

FIG. 7 is a three-dimensional cell structure with abrasive agent andtaken-up particles;

FIG. 8 a shows a grinding member without areal force loading;

FIG. 8 b shows a grinding member under a large areal force load;

FIG. 8 c shows a grinding member under a minimal areal force load;

FIG. 9 is a grinding member with a support material;

FIG. 10 is a grinding member having a cylindrical shape;

FIG. 11 shows two grinding members with an intermediate layer;

FIG. 12 shows a grinding member shaped as a disk; and

FIG. 13 shows a grinding member in the form of an endless band.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 illustrates schematically a two-dimensional closed-cell structureof a grinding member 1. The grinding member 1 has a grinding surface 2provided with an abrasive agent 3. The abrasive agent 3 acts on asurface 4 to be treated or machined. The individual cells 5 of thegrinding member 1 have closed cell walls 6. In FIG. 1 four such lateralboundaries (walls) 6 of the cells 5 are visible. The two other closedcell walls 6 of the parallelepipedal three-dimensional cell are parallelto the plane of the drawing and form two end faces. All cells in FIG. 1are closed cells 7.

FIG. 2 shows an open-cell structure of a grinding member 1 with abrasiveagent 3 that rests against the surface 4 to be processed. Theschematically illustrated cells 5 have a parallelepipedal geometry likethe ones in FIG. 1. However, the four visible sidewalls 6 have openings8. When one of the cells has at least one opening 8, the cell isreferred to in this context as an open cell. FIG. 2 shows all cells asopen cells 9. Open cells 9 that have at least two openings areparticle-passable cells 10. Accordingly, in FIG. 2 all cells areparticle-passable cells 10.

In comparison, in FIG. 3 there are closed cells 7 as well as open cells9. Some of the open cells are also particle-passable cells 10. Thesecells 10 are important in connection with air permeability andpenetration depth of the particles into the interior of the grindingmember 1. The arrows in FIG. 3 indicate possible pathways or passagesfor taken-up particles.

FIG. 4 shows a parallelepipedal grinding member 1 in a three-dimensionalillustration with the surfaces 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 and 16. When a surfaceis provided with an abrasive agent 3, it is a grinding surface 2. Allsurfaces 11 to 16 in FIG. 4 are grinding surfaces 2.

In FIG. 5, the grinding surfaces 11 a and 15 a are symbolicallyillustrated with abrasive agent 3 as partial surfaces of the grindingsurfaces 11 and 15. The grinding surfaces 11 a and 15 a in FIG. 5 resultfrom a section taken along section line V-V indicated in FIG. 4. In FIG.5, this section also makes visible the interior of the grinding member 1in the section plane 17. The grinding member 1 has on its grindingsurface 11 a, 15 a abrasive agents 3 a in the form of abrasive particleswith a fine grain. In the interior of the grinding member 1 there is anabrasive agent 3 b in the form of abrasive particles having a largegrain. The grinding member 1 therefore has on its grinding surfaces 11through 16 a different abrasive agent than in the interior of thegrinding member 1.

In the detail view D of the inner cell structure with the abrasive agent3 b is illustrated in FIG. 6. The cells 5 have an irregular cellstructure in which the grinding particles are fixed by means of a resin.FIG. 6 shows the cell structure when it is new or after having beencleaned.

In FIG. 7, the cells contain particles 18 in addition to the abrasiveagent 3 b of FIG. 6. These particles 18 originate from the grindingsurface 2 and pass through particle-passable cells 10 into the materialof the grinding member 1. They are retained therein until, for example,they are washed out of the grinding member 1 in a cleaning process sothat the interior of the grinding member 1 again assumes the stateillustrated in FIG. 6.

FIGS. 8 a, 8 b, and 8 c show the grinding member 1 of FIG. 4, cut alongthe same section line as section line V-V, but in an end view onto thesection plane. FIG. 8 a shows the grinding member 1 on a surface 4 to beprocessed. For machining the surface 4, the grinding member 1 of FIG. 8a is loaded with an areal force. This is indicated by wide arrows 19 fora great force in FIG. 8 b and by narrow arrows 20 indicating a smallforce (FIG. 8 c). The areal force loading has the effect that theinitial height of the grinding member 1 is reduced. For a large forceaccording to FIG. 8 b, this height reduction is greater than that forthe smaller force according to FIG. 8 c. If the force were not areal,only a partial area of the grinding member 1 would be reduced withregard to its height. When an areal or point-oriented force applicationceases, the grinding member 1 assumes again its original height as soonas the force application is no longer present. The grinding member 1 isthus shape-elastic.

When the grinding member 1 is loaded with a large force areally, asillustrated in FIG. 8 b, the compression of the cell structure causesthe abrasive agents 3 b of the inwardly positioned cells to move intothe grinding surface 2. The grinding surface 2 now contains at the sametime grinding agent 3 b from the inner area of the grinding member 1 andabrasive agent 3 a located on the grinding surface 2. In order for thisto happen, a force is required which is referred to in this context asgreat. Because large-grain abrasive particles in general have a largergeometric size than fine-grain abrasive particles 3 a, the large-grainabrasive particles 3 b from the interior in FIG. 8 b will be moreeffective than the fine-grain abrasive particles 3 a. Accordingly, acoarse grinding or cleaning will take place.

When the force of FIG. 8 b is changed, the large-grain abrasiveparticles 3 b will return with their inwardly positioned cells 5 fromthe surface 4 to be processed as indicated in FIG. 8 c. In FIG. 8 c,only a small areal force is acting on the grinding member 1,symbolically illustrated by the narrow arrows 20. This small force isnot sufficient for moving the inwardly positioned abrasive agent 3 b tothe grinding surface 2. In comparison to the state according to FIG. 8a, the grinding member 1 is still compressed but only to such an extentthat the inwardly positioned abrasive agent 3 b is no longer in contactwith the surface 4 to be processed. In this state, only the outwardlypositioned abrasive agents 3 a of the grinding surface 2 are active andeffect with their fine grain, for example, a fine grinding or sandingaction. For a precise application of the two areal forces in FIGS. 8 band 8 c, it is also possible to mount the grinding member 1 in agrinding member holder of a grinding machine that provides an arealforce for the two processing states according to FIGS. 8 b and 8 c.

Instead of providing two different abrasive agents 3 a and 3 b, it isalso possible to provide only one type of abrasive agent 3 on thegrinding surface 2 of the grinding member 1 as well as within theinterior of the grinding member 1. In this case, the grinding effect ofthe grinding member 1 will increase when, as illustrated in FIG. 8 b,the force is applied to the grinding member so that the inwardlypositioned abrasive particles 3 will reach the grinding surface 2.

FIG. 9 shows a grinding member 1 of foamed plastic material that has onone surface a hook and loop fastener element 21 that is laminated ontothe grinding member 1. The hook and loop fastener element 21 serves as asupport material and provides shape stability to the foamed plasticmaterial. As a result of the presence of the hook and loop fastenerelement 21, the foamed plastic material however is not as flexiblydeformable as without the hook and loop fastener element 21. The hookand loop fastener element can serve as a fastening device thatcooperates with an additional hook and loop fastener element and, inthis way, secures the grinding member 1, for example, on a grindingmember holder. This grinding member holder can be part of a grindingmachine or part of a device for manual processing.

Also, the geometry of the grinding member 1 with or without hook andloop fastener element 21 can have any desired shape. For processingprofiled surfaces, as indicated in FIG. 9, a profiled structure 22 inthe form of recesses can be provided on the grinding surface 2 of thegrinding member 1. When the grinding member 1 is configured withoutsupport member or hook and loop fastener element, it can have athickness of, for example, 2 mm. The grinding member 1 is thenmechanically very flexible and can adapt to the article to be processedwithout requiring a profile structure 22. In this configuration, thegrinding member 1 can be used as a grinding, polishing or cleaningcloth. Since the grinding member 1 is very flexible, it is also possiblewithout problems to process surfaces 4 of any shape.

The grinding member 1 can be produced in any desired geometric shape. Itis also conceivable to configure the grinding member 1 in the form of acylinder 23 that is then used like a brush. Such a brush is illustratedin FIG. 10. The grinding member 1 is arranged about the handle 24. Thebrush can have a monolithic grinding member but, as illustrated in FIG.10, can also be comprised of several grinding members that are arrangedlike narrow sections about the brush handle 24. It is also possible toproduce a cylinder-shaped grinding member with radial sections whereinthe original cylinder is still contiguous as an element.

FIG. 11 shows another embodiment where two grinding members 1 areconnected to one another by an intermediate layer 25. The layer 25serves in this configuration as a blocking layer. It provides a barrierfor taken-up particles 18 in the interior of the grinding member 1. Thelayer 25 can be, for example, also provided with a magnetic action sothat the particles 18 of the grinding surface can be removed more easilyfrom the grinding surface.

FIG. 12 shows another embodiment of the grinding member 1. The grindingmember 1 is shown as a disk and has, for example, two grinding surfaces2. Such disks are used, for example, for processing floor surfaces. Theyare then referred to as “pad”. Depending on the abrasive agent 3, thedisk is suitable for cleaning, sanding, scouring or scrubbing, smoothingor polishing. Often, such disks are used in a driveable treatmentmachines that treat the floor. The disk can also be provided with means,for example, cutouts, that enable the attachment of the disk on thetreatment machine, for example. The rotating or oscillating movement ofthe disk is used to treat the surface 4 to be processed.

FIG. 13 illustrates a grinding member 1 in the form of an endless band26. The band 26 is laminated onto a fabric band 27. The surface 4 to beprocessed is ground by the movement of rotation in the direction ofarrow 28. At high rotational speeds, it is possible to producehigh-gloss surfaces. It is also possible that the grinding band 26 islaminated onto an air-permeable material, so that the dust produced bygrinding can be suctioned off toward the inside at the innercircumference of the grinding member 1.

The described embodiments illustrate that the grinding member accordingto the invention enables the production of a plurality of differentgrinding, scouring, and cleaning devices.

While specific embodiments of the invention have been shown anddescribed in detail to illustrate the inventive principles, it will beunderstood that the invention may be embodied otherwise withoutdeparting from such principles.

1. A grinding member formed as a shape-elastic monolithic element andhaving at least partially a three-dimensional cell structure on agrinding surface of the grinding member, wherein the grinding surfacecomprises a first abrasive agent, and wherein the grinding surface hasat least partially an open-cell structure with open cells.
 2. Thegrinding member according to claim 1, wherein the open cells of thegrinding surface communicate via passages with cells of an interior ofthe grinding member.
 3. The grinding member according to claim 2,wherein the cells in the interior of the grinding member thatcommunicate via passages with the open cells of the grinding surfacecomprise a second abrasive agent.
 4. The grinding member according toclaim 3, wherein the first abrasive agent and the second abrasive agentare different.
 5. The grinding member according to claim 3, wherein atleast one of the first and second abrasive agents is comprised ofabrasive particles.
 6. The grinding member according to claim 3, whereinat least one of the first and second abrasive agents is fixed on thecell structure by a resin.
 7. The grinding member according to claim 3,wherein the grinding member is impregnated with a scouring agent.
 8. Thegrinding member according to claim 1, wherein the first abrasive agentcomprises abrasive particles.
 9. The grinding member according to claim1, wherein the first abrasive agent is fixed on the cell structure by aresin.
 10. The grinding member according to claim 1, wherein themonolithic element is comprised of a foam material.
 11. The grindingmember according to claim 1, wherein the monolithic element is comprisedof a plastic material.
 12. The grinding member according to claim 1,wherein the monolithic element has an air permeability of at least 1,500liters per square meter and per second.
 13. The grinding memberaccording to claim 1, wherein the monolithic element has a compressionhardness of at least 2 kPa.
 14. The grinding member according to claim1, wherein the monolithic element has a thickness of at least 1 mm. 15.The grinding member according to claim 1, wherein the monolithic elementis produced as a rolled-up web.
 16. The grinding member according toclaim 1, further comprising a support material, wherein the monolithicelement is attached to the support material.
 17. The grinding memberaccording to claim 16, wherein the support material is comprised of afabric.
 18. The grinding member according to claim 1, having severalsurfaces each providing a different surface treatment action.
 19. Thegrinding member according to claim 1, having several surfaces that arecolored differently.
 20. The grinding member according to claim 1,wherein at least two of the grinding members are connected to oneanother by a layer.
 21. The grinding member according to claim 1,wherein the grinding member is disc-shaped.
 22. The grinding memberaccording to claim 1, wherein the grinding member is cylindrical. 23.The grinding member according to claim 1, wherein the grinding member isan endless band.